Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 185: Chapter 142: Refining Force? Is That All?

Outside the hotel.

Wan Ze and Tan Xiao had just walked through the revolving door, looking for a place to get dinner.

Tan Xiao fell half a step behind and whispered, "I’ve already notified our people... Coincidentally, Brother Yu and his group are handling some business nearby. They should be here soon."

Wan Ze nodded and was about to speak.

Just then, three figures crossed the street and conveniently blocked their path.

Elder Peng was at the lead. His aged face betrayed no emotion, and his pace was steady—not too fast, not too slow, like someone on an after-dinner stroll. He clearly had lived a life of comfort for many years, and he naturally exuded the aura of a man long accustomed to power.

Behind him were Liu Qing and Shi Lei, whose expressions were far less restrained.

Liu Qing’s eyes were slightly red, whether from anger or indignation, it was hard to say.

Shi Lei, on the other hand, had a grim expression, his gaze fixed on Wan Ze.

Tan Xiao instantly sensed that the three from the Divine Martial Society had hostile intentions.

He moved in a flash.

He snatched a chopstick from a holder nearby and, with a sharp SNAP, broke it with a single finger, revealing a jagged wooden shard that he clutched in his hand.

As the senior brother, he instinctively took half a step forward, positioning himself protectively at Wan Ze’s side.

He didn’t say a word, but his eyes said it all.

’You make a move, and I’ll make sure there’s blood!’

Liu Qing faltered for a moment under Tan Xiao’s glare, but when she recovered, her shame turned to fury, and her anger surged.

She strode forward, pointing past Tan Xiao at Wan Ze, and snarled, "You, Wan! You have the nerve to show your face and eat? You hit our people and thought you could just run? Do you really think the Divine Martial Society is a pushover?"

Wan Ze glanced at her.

His gaze was placid as he replied calmly, "Hit people? What I hit wasn’t a person."

Liu Qing froze. "What?"

"A dog," Wan Ze said, pausing to look at her. "A dog that can’t speak and just bites indiscriminately."

When Liu Qing processed his words, her face instantly turned crimson.

But her mind went blank.

She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him out, only to realize that in her entire life, no one had ever dared to speak to her like that. She was suddenly at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Shi Lei stepped forward and snorted. "You, Wan! All big talk, aren’t you? You hit people from our Divine Martial Society and you still dare to run your mouth here? Anyone who didn’t know better would think your Dragon Eagle is already walking all over us."

Wan Ze turned to him, looking him up and down. "Are you stronger than Zhou Yuan?"

Shi Lei choked on his words.

Wan Ze asked again, "Or are you a better fighter than Zhao Ying?"

Shi Lei’s face flushed beet red.

Wan Ze looked away, his tone dismissive. "If you’re neither, then what are you doing here barking like a dog?"

"You!" Shi Lei’s face twisted with rage.

His fists clenched so tightly they crackled.

He took a step forward...

’I can’t take this!’

’I really can’t take this anymore!’

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Shi Lei turned to look.

It was his master.

He stiffened at once, his eyes reddening as he choked out, "Master! He... he’s gone too far!"

"Stand down." Elder Peng’s voice was quiet, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Shi Lei gritted his teeth and reluctantly took half a step back. But if looks could kill, Wan Ze would have already been skinned alive.

Elder Peng leisurely turned his gaze to Wan Ze.

His gaze was even colder than it had been back in the stadium. "Such a sharp tongue. Is this how Dragon Eagle has been teaching its disciples all these years? To rely on their mouths?"

The words were aimed at Wan Ze, but they were really an insult to all of Dragon Eagle, implying its disciples were all talk and no action.

It was a blatant insult.

Wan Ze met his gaze and smiled.

"You’re mistaken, Senior. Dragon Eagle teaches us how to get things done. As for talking... we generally only talk to people. As for those who can’t understand human speech... heh."

Liu Qing’s face turned livid.

Shi Lei’s fists clenched again. ’Fucking Wan! You’ve gone too far!’

Elder Peng’s eyelid twitched. His voice dropped, laced with a subtle pressure. "Are you saying the people of the Divine Martial Society aren’t human?"

Wan Ze’s smile never wavered. "Those are your words, Senior, not mine."

Elder Peng didn’t reply.

But the aura around him shifted.

An invisible pressure began to emanate from him, feeling like a heavy stone pressing down on one’s chest.

Tan Xiao’s breath hitched, and he instinctively tightened his grip on the broken chopstick.

He knew this was the aura lock of a Refining Force Expert.

If the man attacked, Tan Xiao feared he wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow.

Sensing the shift in their master’s aura, Liu Qing’s and Shi Lei’s eyes lit up.

’Master is finally going to make his move!’

’Excellent!’

Liu Qing folded her arms and sneered, eagerly waiting to see Wan Ze kneel and beg for mercy.

Shi Lei also stared intently at Wan Ze, wanting to personally witness this sharp-tongued bastard get slapped to the ground by his master.

But Wan Ze remained standing where he was.

Utterly motionless.

Even the smile on his face hadn’t changed.

"Senior..."

he began, his tone still relaxed. "Have you thought this through? Are you really going to attack?"

Elder Peng didn’t answer, but the pressure intensified.

Wan Ze continued with a smile, "If word of this gets out, who do you think people will call shameless? You, or the Divine Martial Society?"

Elder Peng’s pupils contracted slightly.

Wan Ze met his gaze and spoke, enunciating every word. "Of course, you’re a Refining Force Expert. Dealing with a junior like me would be a simple matter for you... but who knows what the rest of the martial world will say about it."

Elder Peng didn’t move.

But the oppressive aura around him faltered for a fraction of a second.

It was a brief moment.

But Wan Ze caught it.

’Divine Martial?’

’Is that all you’ve got?’

’I gave you an opening and you’re not even going to take it!’

Emotions churned within Elder Peng’s old eyes.

Of course, he wanted to attack.

Some young brat was dragging the Divine Martial Society’s name through the mud right in front of him. Twenty years ago, he would have slapped the kid into next week without a second thought.

But twenty years ago was then.

And this was now.

This young man before him was from Dragon Eagle.

He was one of Situ Bai’s people.

He’d dealt with that old bastard decades ago. He knew exactly what kind of temper and what kind of tactics the man employed.

If he really laid a hand on this junior today, Situ Bai would be at his door tomorrow, ready to tear the Divine Martial Society down.

For so many years, Dragon Eagle and the Divine Martial Society had stayed out of each other’s way.

Was it really worth a full-blown conflict over this?

Was it?

For a punk like Zhou Yuan, and another like Zhao Ying?

Those two little bastards had made this mess themselves. Did they really expect him to clean it up for them?

Elder Peng was silent for a few moments.

The oppressive aura around him slowly receded.

The eager anticipation on Liu Qing’s and Shi Lei’s faces froze.

"Master..." Liu Qing couldn’t help but begin.

Elder Peng ignored her.

He just looked at Wan Ze and suddenly let out a humorless laugh. "Good. Very good. You’ve got guts, young man."

Wan Ze smiled back.

His was far more genuine.

"You flatter me, Senior. Since you’ve come all this way, we might as well settle the score."

Elder Peng’s brow furrowed. "What score?"

"Compensation."

Wan Ze stated it with the confidence of someone completely in the right. "Zhou Yuan goaded Sheng Rulong into challenging me, trying to use him to do his dirty work. Zhao Ying publicly humiliated my senior brother. Don’t you think the Divine Martial Society owes us an explanation for these things?"

Liu Qing was trembling with rage. "You! You beat our people to a pulp, and now you want *us* to compensate *you*?!"

Wan Ze didn’t even spare her a glance, his eyes fixed on Elder Peng. "What do you say, Senior?"

Elder Peng stared at him.

After a long moment, he sneered, "Compensation? Fine. I’ll pay."

He took a Jade Token from his sleeve and tossed it to Wan Ze.

"This is a token from my Divine Martial Society. Take it, and you can come collect your compensation whenever you like."

Wan Ze caught it and examined it.

The Jade Token was smooth and warm to the touch. The character for "Divine" was carved on the front, and the character for "Martial" was on the back.

"I just wonder if you’ll have the guts to collect," Elder Peng added nonchalantly.

Wan Ze tucked the Jade Token into his pocket and smiled. "If a senior is giving it away, why would we at Dragon Eagle dare refuse?"

Elder Peng gave him one last deep look, then turned and walked away.

Liu Qing and Shi Lei, stunned for a second, hurried to follow him.

"Master!" Liu Qing cried, catching up to him, her voice filled with grievance. "Are we just letting it go like this? He beat Brother Zhou and Brother Zhao, he cursed at us, and you’re just going to..."

"Shut up!"

Elder Peng barked sharply.

Liu Qing flinched and didn’t dare utter another word.

Shi Lei’s fists were clenched tight. ’This is so damn frustrating!’

He couldn’t help but glance at Elder Peng. ’Why didn’t you do anything? Who gives a damn about face! Couldn’t you have just killed him?!’

But Elder Peng left the hotel without another word.

Wan Ze stood in place, toying with the Jade Token in his hand.

Only after the trio from the Divine Martial Society was a good distance away did Tan Xiao finally relax his grip on the broken chopstick. He let out a long breath and looked at Wan Ze, his expression incredibly complex. "Ah Ze..."

"I’m hungry. Let’s go eat." Wan Ze stuffed the Jade Token into his pocket and started walking.

Tan Xiao froze for a second, then hurried after him. "Wait, about that Jade Token—"

"We’ll talk about it later."

Wan Ze didn’t look back.

The sun felt warm on his back.

A line of small text appeared in his vision:

[Stealing Celestial Secret: Spiritual Form 2%]

...

’Something from the Divine Martial Society can actually trigger my Spiritual Form?’

Wan Ze was actually a little surprised.

’Looks like there’s more to this Divine Martial Society than meets the eye. But that old bastard Peng probably doesn’t know what secret this Jade Token holds, or he never would have thrown it away so easily.’

Ming Zhaojun had somehow heard that the Divine Martial Society’s Elder Peng was looking to cause trouble for Wan Ze and had called to warn him immediately.

But Wan Ze had just laughed it off. "It’s handled."

Even for someone like Ming Zhaojun, who had seen his fair share of storms, it was hard not to be shocked by Wan Ze’s response.

...

After he hung up, Tan Xiao craned his neck and leaned in, whispering, "Ah Ze, what’s our next move?"

Wan Ze slid the communicator back into his pocket and smiled at him. "First, we eat."

"..."

Tan Xiao was dumbfounded.

He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin.

He just stood there, stunned, watching as Wan Ze started to cross the street.

’Wait a minute... Ah Ze, are you always this calm?’

’That was a Refining Force Expert!’

But seeing how composed Wan Ze was, he could only swallow the words on the tip of his tongue and hurry to catch up.

「Half an hour later, in a small restaurant near the hotel.」

Wan Ze was completely engrossed in his food, eating with single-minded focus.

Tan Xiao sat across from him, poking at the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks. He hadn’t taken a single bite, his gaze flickering toward Wan Ze’s face from time to time.

After his last bite, Wan Ze looked up at him. "Brother Xiao, why are you staring at me? Your food’s getting cold."

Tan Xiao, who had been holding it in for ages, finally couldn’t take it anymore and slammed his chopsticks down. "Ah Ze, I’m begging you, just tell me... what exactly are we supposed to do now?"

Seeing him like this, Wan Ze shook his head and chuckled.

"Brother Xiao, just relax. You’ve already notified our people; now we just wait for Brother Yu and the others to arrive. The Divine Martial Society provoked us intentionally this time. We can’t just pretend it didn’t happen."

Tan Xiao listened intently, clearly still full of questions.

Wan Ze had no choice but to explain further. "The Ming Family is the Ming Family, and the Sheng Family is the Sheng Family. However those two fight it out, our role is just to arbitrate. But what the Divine Martial Society just pulled is a direct provocation against Dragon Eagle. And since they dared to provoke us, they’d better be prepared to face the consequences."

Tan Xiao asked cautiously, "But... will things escalate?"

"Escalate?" Wan Ze chuckled. "No. If things were really going to escalate, that old man would have already made his move."

Tan Xiao paused. "You mean... Elder Peng?"

Wan Ze nodded with a smile. "But he didn’t dare."

Tan Xiao mulled this over, and his eyes slowly brightened. "No wonder you weren’t worried at all."

But then he frowned again. "Still, from the way that old guy acted, he’s probably not going to hand over the compensation that easily."

"If he won’t give it up willingly, someone will make him," Wan Ze said, taking a sip of his tea. "But that’s no longer our concern."

Tan Xiao looked at him, surprised. "You’re not going to be involved in what comes next?"

"A waste of time," Wan Ze said, shaking his head.

’It’s only because I’m just at the Refining Viscera stage. Otherwise, I would’ve dealt with that little old man Peng myself.’

The old man was throwing his seniority around, so there was no need for Wan Ze to rise to the bait. He would let someone from Dragon Eagle with the proper standing handle it.

Wan Ze was very clear on the situation. He had opened the door to a conflict with the Divine Martial Society; what came next was a matter for the higher-ups to negotiate.

He had no need to act as cannon fodder.

Of course, Situ Bai wouldn’t let him become cannon fodder either.

When Situ Bai had given him the mission that evening, he had hinted at this... The Ming Family was destined to suffer a loss in this affair, but Dragon Eagle needed a strong reason to intervene.

The moment he’d come face to face with the Divine Martial Society at the stadium, he knew what he had to do.

Events were now unfolding more or less as he had predicted.

He even suspected that Zhai Yu wasn’t just "coincidentally" in the area. It was most likely a contingency plan his master had put in place.

But none of that had anything to do with him anymore.

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